“It’s a beautiful place.” David, after spending time with us on the Inpatient Unit.
When David walked through the doors at Barnsley Hospice recently, he was the first to admit he was rather reluctant but did so because of some gentle encouragement from his wife.
David said: “I was in and out of hospital and one of the Macmillan nurses suggested Barnsley Hospice. For me, I’m quite old-fashioned and I had this perception that the hospice was where you come just for your final days and be in peace in great surroundings.
“My wife had a different outlook on it as her mother was a nurse and did some work in a hospice back in Aberdeen, and explained it was about coming in and getting my pain under control. I wasn’t too keen on staying in as I didn’t know what to expect.
“When this was put across to me, I came in and I thought ‘Okay, I’ll give it a go’ but I hadn’t much hope. My first thought was ‘How long am I going to be here?’.
“Then once I started talking with the Doctors and nurses, working on my pain and working on the meds I was already on from different hospitals.”
David explained he felt he was listened to and valued, and having the hospice here had helped him and his family better understand how hospices can help, particularly with pain management and symptom control for people living with life-limiting illnesses.
“I’m feeling good,” added David. “It’s a beautiful place. While I’ve been here, I’ve had my sisters visit me, individually, and they were under the same impression about hospices as me to start with. They are protective sisters who said ‘We don’t want you in a hospice, we’ll look after you!’ But now they’ve seen what the hospice have achieved with me and what we’ve achieved between us – the Doctors, nurses and everybody here.
“I’m going to go home now I’ve got this pain sorted. It’s been a real eye-opener. If I ever see anybody and want to talk about it, I’ll be more than happy to recommend this place. As a charity organisation, it’s fabulous. I always knew from previous years this place is a charity.”
If you have a story from coming into contact with Barnsley Hospice and its services that you’d like to share, please email marketing@barnsley-hospice.org
